Breast cancer is the most common cancer disease among women and the most common cause of death for women between 35 and 55. Examinations every one or two years for early detection of breast cancer are therefore recommended for women. Mammography, clinical examination (including palpation) and ultrasound examinations are used for primary diagnosis of breast cancer.
Magnetic resonance imaging is another diagnostic instrument, which has a high sensitivity to abnormalities but only a low specificity and resolution. It is also disadvantageous that this is an expensive procedure, which is not suited for routine examinations.
If conspicuous but not unambiguous abnormalities are found with these methods then tissue samples, which are then histologically examined, can be taken by means of a core needle biopsy or an aspiration biopsy. Although a tissue volume above 20 mm in diameter can now be removed by aspiration biopsy, it has so far only been used for diagnostic purposes and for the removal of unambiguously benign tumors, since a sufficiently secure monitoring with regard to a complete removal of the tumor is not possible with the described method.